Bag-filling machine with adjustably mounted article guide rails



Jan. 1953 A. J. M CLELLAND ET AL 2,526,094

BAG FILLING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ARTICLE GUIDE RAILS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

Jan. 20, 1953 i J, M CLELLAND ET AL 2,626,094

BAG FILLING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ARTICLE GUIDE RAILS Filed Aug. 23, 1949 '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 THEIR A TTOR/VEY Jan. 20, 1953 A. J, MOCLELLAND ETAL 2,626,094

BAG FILLING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ARTICLE GUIDE RAILS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 23, 1949 INVENTOR. ARTHUR J MaGLELLA/VD ALPHO/VSE 1.. ZAMB/TO BY no SAMUEL .z MINA/E0! THEIR ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1953 A. J. MOCLELLAND ET AL 2,625,094

BAG FILLING MACHINE WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ARIICLE GUIDE RAILS Filed Aug. 25, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I :E Ii

" 5 i ii EI INVENTOR.

I IIARTHUR J MGOLELLAND ALPHONSE L. ZAMB/TO BYAND SAMUEL J MINA/E0! THE/R ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 20, 1953 BAG-FILLING MACHINE WITH ADJ USTABLY MOUNTED ARTICLE GUIDE RAILS Arthur J. McClelland, Holley, and Alphonse L. Zambito and Samuel J. Minneci, Albion, N. Y.

Application August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111,834

4 Claims. (01. 226-61) This invention relates to bag filling machines and, more particularly, to machines for filling bags of paper or the like with onions, potatoes or other articles, one object of the invention being to provide an improved machine of the character described having a more simple, practical and efficient type of construction.

Another object is the provision of such a machine adap-ted to simultaneously fill a series of bags or other containers in a substantially automatic and rapid manner.

Another object is to supply a machine of the above character adapted to receive a continuous feed of articles and to distribute and transmit the same simultaneously to a series of bags which may be in continuous motion on carrier means for conveying the same through the machine and to a convenient disposition.

A further object is to provide a machine having the above advantages in which the containers may be loosely, rapidly and conveniently applied to funnel discharg means without requiring a clamping or other attaching operation to apply them to the funnel means.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described having a relatively simple, practical and efiicient construction and mode of operation.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointedout 'in .the claims at the end of the specification.

- In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same as viewed from the left in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same as viewed from the right in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4- is an end elevation as seen from above in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an end elevation as seen from below in Fig. 1.

. Y The. invention is embodied in the present instance, by way of illustration, in a machine havin conveyor means adapted to receive a continuous feed of articles, and to distribute the articles longitudinally and feed them laterally to a continuously moving carrier having a series of hoppers adapted to receive and fill the empty bags in the direction shown by the arrow (Fig. 1). The articles are preferably supplied at one side and end of this belt by any suitable conveying means l1, shown in broken lines and forming no part of the present invention. The articles supplied by the conveyor ll fall across the width of belt l6 and are carried thereby to means for distributing them longitudinally and transmitting them laterally to the bag filling machine.

The article distributing means preferably comprises a bar I8 fixed on the top of the inner side rail l3 of the frame I0 and a bar l9 resting loosely at its ends on the end rails l3 of the frame and. spaced from and inclined to the bar l8 as shown (Fig. 1). Bar .I8 supports the inner ends of a plurality of guide rails 26 of progressively increasing length which have their inner ends pivotally connected to the bar Is as at 21 and their outer ends pivotally connected to the bar I9. The rails are preferably secured to bolts 20 depending through the bars and each rail is made in two sections, 26a and 26b, slidably connected together by bolt and slot or other suitable means (not shown) so that its length can be adjusted. The rails are thus adjustably supported and spaced longitudinally of the bar and conveyor [6, at an inclination to the direction of movement of the conveyor and with their outer ends 29 spaced transversely of the conveyor, as shown. The rails are of substantial height and have their lower edges extending adjacent or in contact with the surface of the conveyor, each being adapted to engage and guide a portion of the articles moved by the conveyor against its outer end, so that the articles, under movement by the conveyor, travel down the rails inwardly of the machine and laterally toward the carrier for the bags. Bar l9 may be shifted on rails I3 to change the inclination of rails 26 and adjust the spacing of the outer ends thereof transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor for varying the number or amount of articles deflected by each rail to insure proper filling of the bags. As the articles are discharged at the ends of the rails and the inner edge of the conveyor, they fall upon the surface of an inwardly and downwardly inclined board 32 down which they fall by gravity and by which they are delivered simultaneously to a series of juxtaposed hoppers arranged in alinement longitudinally of a continuously moving carrier, which will now be described.

The carrier means for the hoppers and bags is preferably mounted on a frame, indicated generally at 33, having legs 34, side rails, 35 and 36, and suitable cross connections (not shown). Each of the opposite ends of the frame is provided with upper and lower bearings, at 38, for a pair of spaced shafts, 39 and 40, on which are rotatably mounted upper and lower pairs of spaced sprocket wheels 4|. The carrier comprises a pair of endless chains, 42 and 43, each movably supported by a pair of the sprocket wheels 41' at each end of the machine. Chains 42 and 43 are connected by a series of juxtaposed hopper plates 44 in alined relation longitudinally of the chains and the carrier. Each of these plates is pivotally connected, as at 46, with opposite links of the chains so that the plates are supported in horizontal position in the upper and lower runs of the chains and carrier and travel around between the sprocket wheels at the ends of the frame.

Each hopper plate hasa central opening 41 and is dished from its margins inwardly and downwardly as at 45 toward this inlet opening, in the position which the plates occupy in the lower run of the carrier. Each plate at its other or discharge side is provided with a cylindrical funnel 48, having one end fitted to the plate in registry with the discharge opening 41 and extending for a substantial distance from the plate to receive and fit closely in the open mouth of a bag 48a. It is evident from the above description that as the hopper plates and funnels pass along the upper run of the carrier, the funnels are projected upwardly in position to have the bag mouths applied thereto, while, in the lower run of the belt, they are positioned to receive and transmit the articles through the funnels to fill the bags depending therefrom. In passing to this filling position, the bottoms of the bags pass first into contact with a stationary supporting plate 49 on the frame and then down into contact with a supporting and discharge conveyor or belt below and parallel with the lower run of the carrier and traveling in the same direction at substantially the same speed, as will now be described.

The supporting and discharge conveyor is preferably in the form of a belt 50 having its upper run traveling in and supported by a shallow channel-shaped trough connecting the sides of frame 33. One end of the belt passes around an idler pulley 52 supported in bearings depending from one end of the trough, as shown. The lower or return run of the belt passes over idler pulleys 53 and 54 and thence around a lower idler pulley 55 to the other end of the frame. From pulley 55 the belt passes with a substantial wrap around a pulley 55 which is driven by means hereafter described. The belt extends to a suitable distance beyond this end of the machine for transporting the filled bags to a suitable position for check weighing, closing and further disposition as desired.

Conveyor belt 54 travels below and parallel with the lower run of the carrier and at the same or a slightly increased speed so as to firmly support the bottom of the bags as they are being filled with the articles. At the discharge end of the machine where the funnels 48 pass upwardly with the carrier around the sprockets, such upward movement of the funnels withdraws them from the mouths of the bags without disturbing their upright position as they are carried off by the conveyor belt.

The empty bags are manually applied to the funnels 48 by one or more operators standing upon any suitable platform 51 (Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5), which is shown in broken lines and forms no part of the present invention. Access to the platform' is gained through a flight of steps 58 and the operators may stand or occupy suitable seats positioned on the platform for applying the bags 4 to the upwardly projecting funnels as they are moved along by the carrier.

The means for driving the feed belt [6 pref- 'erably comprises an electric motor 59 (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5) having its base slidably mounted on spaced guide rods 60, on a bracket 6| on the machine frame. Aspindle 62 rotatably mounted on the bracket is threadedly engaged with the base 63 of the motor for adjusting it along the guide rods to vary the tension of the belt 64 which is driven by a pulley 65 fixed on the motor shaft. The other end ofthe belt engages a pulley 66 of a variable speed gearing (not shown) enclosed in a housing 61. This gearing drives a pulley 68 connected by a belt 69 with a pulley 10 fixed on the shaft of the pulley 45 for the feed belt, for driving the latter at a suitable speed.

- The means for driving the carrier comprises preferably an electric motor H (Figs. 1 and 2) having its base 12 slidably mounted on guide rods 13 on a bracket 14 mounting a rotary spindle 15 having a threaded connection with the base of the motor for moving it on its guide rods to tension the belt driven thereby. The motor shaft carries a pulley 18 connected by a belt 18a with a pulley 18b of a variable speed gearing (not shown) in a housing 19 on the frame. The gearing has a driven pulley engaging one end of a belt 81 the other end of which engages a pulley 82 fixed on one end of the adjacent shaft 39 carrying the upper sprockets 4| for the carrier chains, to drive the same and the carrier at a suitably adjusted speed. The other end of shaft 39 has fixed thereon a pulley 84 driving a belt 85 engaging a pulley 86 fixed on the shaft 81 carrying the pulley 56 for driving the supporting or discharge conveyor belt 50.

In operation, the onions, potatoes or other products or articles are continuously supplied to one end of the feed belt [6 by any suitable means such as a conveyor I7. Feed belt I6 carries the articles against the outer ends of the guide rails 26 spaced across the width of the belt and the articles are guided by the rails and distributed laterally from the belt onto the inclined surface 32 down which they fall onto the dished surfaces of the hopper plates in the bottom run of the carrier, so that the articles are continuously distributed longitudinally of the carrier and fed to it over a substantial portion of the length of its lower or receiving run. The articles are thus fed continuously and simultaneously to a plurality of the hoppers and bags carried thereby, so that a plurality of the bags may be rapidly filled. The bags while being filled hav their bottoms supported by the supporting and discharge conveyor belt 50 traveling at substantially the same speed as the carrier. As the upper funnels are raised by the travel of the carrier, they are withdrawn from the mouths of the bags as the latter are carried along and discharge from the machine to a suitable position for removal from the conveyor and closure of the bag.

It is evident from the above description that the invention provides a simple, practical and etficient machine by which a plurality of bags may be simultaneouslyand rapidly filled in a substantially automatic manner requiring only the application of the empty bags to the hopper funnels and the removal of the filled bags from the discharge conveyor. The bags while empty are supported by fitting the open mouth of each bag to its funnel, and while being filled, they are supported and moved along by conveyor means conjointly with the funnels, so that no clamping means is required for securing the bags to the funnels. The machine is adapted for operation, therefore, with a high rate of production and a minimum of manual labor.

It will thus be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects and while it has been herein disclosed by reference to the details of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that such disclosure is intended in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense, as it is contemplated that various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A bag filling machine comprising a feeding conveyor, a plurality of spaced adjustably mounted guide rails extending at an inclination to the direction of movement of said conveyor and having their outer ends spaced transversely of said direction, means for adjusting the inclination of said rails and the spacing of the outer ends thereof transversely of said direction, an endless carrier arranged to travel in upper and lower runs and provided with a plurality of hoppers spaced longitudinally thereof, each of said hoppers having its inlet arranged to open through the upper side of the lower run of said carrier and its outlet arranged to discharge on the opposite side of said carrier run, said hopper outlet being formed to receive and support the mouth of a bag, a part having a surface arranged to transfer articles from the inner ends of said rails to the inlets of said hoppers, a supporting conveyor extending below and parallel with the lower run of said carrier in position to support the bottoms of bags supported by said hopper outlet and means for moving said conveyors and the lower run of said carrier in the same direction for continuously and simultaneously filling a plurality of said bags.

2. A bag rilling machine comprising a feeding conveyor, a bar extending at an inclination to the direction of movement of said conveyor, a plurality of spaced guide rails adjustably supported by said bar at an inclination to the direction of movement of said conveyor and having their outer ends spaced transversely of said direction, means for adjusting the inclination of said bar to adjust the inclination of said rails and the spacing of the outer ends thereof transversely of said direction, an endless carrier arranged to travel in upper and lower runs and provided with a plurality of hoppers spaced longitudinally thereof, each of said hoppers having its inlet arranged to open through the upper side of the lower run of said carrier and its outlet arranged to discharge on the opposite side of said carrier run, said hopper outlet being formed to receive and support the mouth of a bag, a part having a surface arranged to transier articles from the inner ends of said rails to the inlets of said hoppers, a supporting conveyor extending below and parallel with the lower run of said carrier in position to support the bottoms of bags supported by said hopper outlets and means for moving said conveyors and the lower run of said carrier in the same direction for continuously and simultaneously filling a plurality of said bags.

I 3. A bag niilng machine comprising a feeding conveyor, a plurality of ad ustably mounted spaced guides extending at an inclination to the direction or movement of said conveyor and having their outer ends spaced transversely of said direction, means for ad usting said guides and the spacing of the outer ends thereof transversely of said direction, an endless flexible carrier arranged to travel in upper and lower runs and having a series of hopper plates arranged in juxtaposed, alined relation longitudinally of said carrier, each of said plates having an opening therethrough and a dish shaped portion adapted to receive and discharge articles through said opening, said plate being provided at the discharge side of said opening with a funnel adapted to support and discharge into the mouth of a bag, a means for transferring articles from the inner ends of said guides to said hopper plates for filling said bags, a supporting conveyor extending below and parallel with the lower run of said carrier in position to support the bottoms of bags supported by said hopper funnels and means for moving said conveyors and the lower run of said carrier in the same direction for continuously and simultaneously filling a plurality of said bags.

4. A bag filling machine having a carrier comprising a pair of spaced endless chains and a series of dished hopper plates in juxtaposed relation between said chains, each of said plates being pivoted to and supported by said chains and provided with a discharge funnel adapted to receive and support the mouth of a bag, means supporting said carrier for travel in an upper run with said funnels projecting upwardly and in a lower substantially horizontal run with said funnels depending downwardly, a feed belt arranged laterally to and substantially parallel with the lower run of said carrier, guide means comprising a plurality of adjustably mounted bars inclined to the direction of movement of said feed belt and having their outer ends spaced transversely thereof for guiding articles simultaneously from said belt to a plurality of said hoppers in the lower run of said carrier, means for adjusting the inclination of said bars and the spacing of the outer ends thereof transversely of said direction for varying the number of articles guided from said belt to said hoppers by each of said bars, a supporting conveyor extending below and parallel with the lower run of said carrier in a position to support the bottoms of bags carried by said hopper funth inclination of M nels during the filling thereof, and means for moving said supporting conveyor and the lower run of said carrier in the same direction and at substantially the same speed for continuously and simultaneously filling a plurality of bags carried by said funnels.

ARTHUR J. MCCLELLAND.

ALPHONSE L. ZAMBITO.

SAMUEL J. MINNECI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

